Travis+Rutherford

Chemistry 111- Wikispace Supercooled Water As we all know the freezing point of water is 0 degrees Celcius, but I learned last year that it is not always true, relatively pure water can be cooled to a temperature colder than 0 degrees Celcius, in some cases it can approach 40 below zero! You may have seen a few videos of this on Youtube and thought that that can't be possible, but it is, I experienced it myself. The reason that the water is able to freeze is because there are no nucleation particles for the ice to begin freezing. Nucleation particles, similar to those that cause it to rain, are simply impurities that allow the ice to start on. This is certainly something that can be done at home, all you need is a store bought bottle of water. Stick it in a freezer for a few hours, make sure that there is as little movement to the freezer as possible, and voila, you have a bottle of supercooled water! Now all you have to do is his it on something, and it will freeze in your hand. Here is a video.

media type="youtube" key="pTdiTe3x0Bo" height="385" width="480" Hadlington, s. (2010, February 4). //Freezing supercooled water puzzles scientists//. Retrieved from http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2010/February/04021002.asp  The Wooden Car "Splinter"

Those who know me, know that I love cars and wood so when i heard of the Splinter, I had to find out more. The car is powered by a 600 hp v8 from a Cadillac. It is made from numerous wood composites, mainly cherry was used. A large percentage of the car is made of wood except somethings it simply is not possible to use wood, like the engine and braking system. This car is quite the accomplishment done by mainly Joe Harmon as a University project. The car has been built using a variety of different fabrication techniques similar to those used in carbon fiber and fiberglass. If you want anymore information on the car, I would recommend that you visit http://www.joeharmondesign.com/howitsmade2.html This is their website and it has several videos about the techniques and the development of the car. media type="youtube" key="yheK8LFBqQM" height="385" width="480" media type="youtube" key="40IRmPV_sXs" height="385" width="480" Harmon, Joe. (Unknown). //Splinter//. Retrieved from http://www.joeharmondesign.com/howitsmade2.html  The Amazing Heat Locked in Thermite Thermite is a combination of aluminum powder and iron oxide mixed in an eight to three gram ratio, although it is reasonably easy to obtain the ingredients of thermite I do not recommend trying this at home, you will probably run into a few problems with the law. The Mythbusters has done an extensive amount of "research" in this substance. They have made an explosion, they attempted to split a car in half, and coincidentally they tested the effect that thermite played on the famous Hindenburg burn. media type="youtube" key="BnHR4cMXiyM" height="385" width="640" media type="youtube" key="PPAYZMzGMwQ" height="385" width="480"

How to do stuff,. (2006, January 30). //How to make Thermite//. Retrieved from http://how2dostuff.blogspot.com/2006/01/how-to-make-thermite.html

The Most Powerful Permanent Magnet Known to Man Neodymium magnets are the most powerful magnets in the world, it is a type of rare earth magnet and has an incredible amount of power. Also known as Neodymium-Iron-Boron because they are composed of these three elements. These magnets are so strong that an eighth inch cube has a pull force of approximately 2 pounds, that is amazing. A magnet that can hold my body weight is just a 1 inch cube. These magnets are dangerous, a block 4inx2inx2in has a pulling force of approximately six hundred and fifty pounds, funny thing is, these magnets are readily available to the general public through online stores, like Magnets4less.com, the website that gave me these numbers. Here are a couple of videos demonstrating thew awesome power of these magnets. media type="youtube" key="PYuV6UiQvnE" height="385" width="480" media type="youtube" key="ClkP-QwIOAQ" height="385" width="480" Jezek, Geno. (2006). //What are Neodymium magnets//. Retrieved from http://www.whatareneodymiummagnets.com/

Night Vision Capable Cell Phones In the near future it may not be uncommon to switch your cell phone in order to see in low light conditions. As we all know, if you want to see in the dark you either need a flashlight or the very expensive and bulky night vision goggles. The new technology uses organic light emitting diodes, similar to those found in cell phones and laptops. modern night vision goggles capture the invisible infrared waves and converts the photon into electrons which are then forced through a phosphorus screen producing a green image. These goggles need a cathode ray tube and an incredible amount of electricity to do this, this is a major set back, it makes it bulky and impractical. The new technology replaces the cathode ray tube with an extremely thin layer of semiconductors. The same infrared waves are converted into electrons one again, and then it uses the LED to create visible light. It is amazing what those small devices can do, and only time will tell what else they will be able to do.

University of Florida (2010, May 4). Cell phones could double as night vision devices. //ScienceDaily//. Retrieved May 10, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2010/05/100504113123.htm World War 2 Nuclear Bombs One of the most feared weapons ever created, was first made in the United-States of America during World War Two. The amazing power of the atomic bomb was first witnessed near the end of the war in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. How exactly were these explosions achieved? Well the Manhattan project is the mother of these disastrous weapons. The bombs utilized a phenomenon known as nuclear fission. Nuclear fission is when a neutron is fired at a Uranium-235 atom and the atom is split by this, releasing a large amount of electricity and multiple neutrons. when the neutrons are fired released they are traveling at an incredible speed, and they each initiate a reaction, increasing the amount of energy released exponentially, and as a result an explosion of incredible proportions is produced. Why is Uranium-235 used when it's natural abundance is only 0.7%? Well Uranium-238 will simply accept a neutron and become Uranium-239. Uranium-239 has a high probability of spontaneous fission. This means that it requires no initial impact to start the reaction, this proved to be extremely risky and not worth the risk.

Way that the explosion was initiated was that a metal rod coated with Uranium-235 was fired using TNT (Trinitrotoluene) into a mass of Uranium-235 and this would initiate the chain and the energy would build until the it becomes to great and explodes.

As technology progresses so do the unbelievable power locked within the Nukes of the world and I find it terrifying. We have now developed the hydrogen bomb which is incredibly powerful as demonstrated in this video. media type="youtube" key="A8rXc21d2ms" height="385" width="480" I don't know about you guys, but I am terrified because Russia is constantly sending nuclear capable "Bear" bombers into Canada's air space to test our reflexes. National Science Digital Library,. (2008). //Nuclear fission//. Retrieved from http://www.atomicarchive.com/Fission/Fission1.shtml Catalytic Converter Swap in Diesels In all cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles you will find a catalytic converter in the exhaust system, unless it has been removed of course! What the catalytic converter does is it will absorb some of the hazardous materials expelled after combustion. Today these catalytic converters are made from platinum, an extremely scarce and expensive metal. Scientists have found a material that is far cheaper than platinum and even more effective as well. Although this material can only be used in diesels, the applications are limited, however you must not forget that one of the largest polluters are diesels, transport trucks.

The magical chemicals are called perovskites. these perovskites are a class of mixed oxide minerals. A diesel engine expels a different chemical than common gas engines, they will expel NO. Diesels burn with substantially more oxygen than gas engines, and there for more NO is produced. A way to eliminate these gases is to expose it to platinum and convert NO to NO2, the hydrocarbons from the fuel mixes with the NO2 and the oxygen is removed.

The new catalyst is designed to be a cheaper, more efficient catalyst than the current platinum, however it is still being tested, however it is possible that it enters the market in the near future.

Hadlington, S. (2010, march 10). //New catalyst for diesel exhaust//. Retrieved from http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2010/March/25031004.asp



Super-tough Clothing Do you want to feel safe from guns and shrapnel, and yet still wear a light stylish design? Well this may not be as far in the future as we might think. a new technology has allowed us to make bullet proof cotton t-shirts. The only downside is that you can have it in any colour, as long as it's black!

The collaboration of scientists in China, Switzerland and the United-States has developed a procedure in which a piece of cotton is combined with the third strongest material known to man, Boron Carbide. Cotton fibers contain an extremely large quantity of pores and "crevices" to contain the Boron Carbide. This is done by creating a Boron powder solution with a nickel-based catalyst. The cotton is soaked in the solution and then heated at 1100 degrees Celcius for four hours under a flow of argon to prevent the substance from burning. This produces an extremely strong textile while maintaining the pliability and weight of the cotton.

So far the testing is disappointing, but this is very early in the development of this technology and may possibly be improved with further research. Although this may not replace the standard Kevlar vests used in law enforcement agencies and the military, it may very well be used one day to provide personal protection to the general public. Brindley, Lewis. (2010, March 16). //Making 'armoured' t-shirts//. Retrieved from http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2010/March/16031001.asp 
 * Fire protection where you would least expect.**

One day I was watching the Discovery channel's new show "Breaking Point". This show explores the limits of everyday structures, and attempt to make improvements on the original design. On this episode they were exploring the toughness of fire trucks. First of all they destroyed the first tougher truck in a simulated forest fire when the temperatures are at their maximum. The truck was almost unrecognizable. So one of the hosts looked towards the amazing power of disposable diapers. Diapers are able to retain so much moisture because of a chemical known as Sodium Polyacrylate. Not only can this substance retain moisture, it can also serve as fire protection.

Here is a video of Sodium Polyacrylate and its absorbing abilities. media type="youtube" key="bWaivm9XpNg" height="344" width="425" Here is another video explaining the firefighting ability of polymers. media type="youtube" key="_mFGPabWZVg" height="344" width="425" This super absorbent chemical will absorb up to 300 times it's own weight in water. It was invented by Dow chemical and is the combination of sodium acrylate and acrylic acid to form a polymer. this chemical has very long carbon chains bonded with sodium atoms. This chemical will absorb water until it has an equal amount of water outside of the substance. The reason why these polymers are so fire resistant because, as demonstrated in the second video, the water in the polymer has to evaporate in order for it to get to the flammable material, however there are many layers that the heat has to penetrate, so it is not a permanent solution, but it does last quite a long time. The chemical itself is not flammable, so it poses no threats to amplifying the fire.

Citations. Helminstein, A-M. (n.d.). //How Do diapers work? why do they leak?//. Retrieved from http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingsworkfaqs/f/diapers.htm

Anaheim, C. (1999, March 23). //Fire resistant polymers give off polymers//. Retrieved from http://composite.about.com/library/PR/1999/blacs1.htm

=Fluoride in Water =

Water is far from pure, there are a number of different minerals and substances that can be found in water. Fluoride is one of them. Fluoride in water occurs naturally, and will also be added in a populations water supply. Fluoride is a chemical that can be found in toothpaste, and various different substances used at the dentist. The reason it is found in toothpaste because it is supposed to combine with the existing structure of the tooth through ingestion and contact with the tooth enamel. City water is purified and often looses the beneficial properties of fluoride in water, so they will often add fluoride so that the general population will experience reduced tooth decay. For over sixty years water fluoridation has helped tooth decay by an estimated 20-40 percent. The only problem is that there are some health risks involved with elevated levels of fluoride, especially among children under the age of 8 years old. It may cause fluorosis, which is simply discoloration of the permanent teeth. (slightly insignificant in the grand scheme of things) However, if substantial amounts of fluoride is ingested, it is possible for the "victim" to experience damage to the tooth enamel, and as a result a large amount of pain. There is some evidence that indicates that prolonged exposure to substantial amounts of fluoride, more than the amount than the average Canadian consumes, may lead to skeletal fluorosis. Skeletal fluorosis is a not life threatening, but may cause the bones to become more dense and brittle, it may also cause some joint pain. The acceptable limits of fluoride in water, as of 2002 in the United-States, is between 0.7 and 1.2 ppm. If fluoridated water is not available in your area, there are some fluoridated bottles of water available. You may also be able to get water soluble fluoride supplements from your doctor, however it is not recommended by the government of Canada or the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry. In Canada the optimal levels of fluoride in water is 0.8 to1.0 mg/L of water, The absolute maximum allowed, set by Health Canada, is 1.5mg/L.

This is a picture of teeth with a case of fluorosis. http://www.fluoridation.com/teeth.htm

Citations: Gavin, Mary. (2008, June). //Fluoride and water//. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/teeth/fluoride.html# Health Canada,. (2008, July). //It's your health-fluorides and human health//. Retrieved from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/environ/fluor-eng.php